Rock Creek Cleanup, Cabin John Trail Workday Coming Up
Montgomery County is encouraging environmental volunteer work in April to celebrate Earth Day with a list of events throughout the month, including a number in the Bethesda/Chevy Chase area.
On Saturday, April 6 from 9 a.m. to noon, the Rock Creek Conservancy’s Extreme Cleanup will task volunteers with cleaning the streams, tributaries and parks connected to Rock Creek and the neighborhoods near Rock Creek where trash originates. More than 50 locations, included a few in Chevy Chase, Kensington and Garrett Park, are available.
The fifth annual cleanup effort will happen along the entire length of the 33-mile stream, which stretches from Laytonsville all the way down to the Potomac near Georgetown.
On Saturday, April 13 from 9 a.m. to noon, the Montgomery County Road Runners Club will do a Rock Creek Trail Cleanup that includes the Matthew Henson Trail and feeder paths as well as dry feeder streams, roadways and playgrounds.
On Saturday, April 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Montgomery Parks wants volunteers for its Cabin John Trail Workday. Work typically includes repairing eroded tread surfaces, fixing drainage issues and building new trails and bridges. For more information, call 301-495-2504.
For more Earth Day events, visit Montgomery County’s Earth Day 2013 page.
Photo via Montgomery Parks
Big Train Celebrity Softball Game Returning
The Bethesda Big Train summer collegiate baseball team is bringing back the Big Train Celebrity Softball Classic to raise money for its mission of improving baseball fields in the D.C. area.
The game, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, will match up local athletes including Washington Redskins Ryan Kerrigan and Chris Cooley against local media personalities who cover them. The athletes won last year’s inaugural game, 3-2.
The game will take place six weeks before the start of the Big Train’s season at Shirley Povich Field (10600 Westlake Dr.) in Cabin John Regional Park. The event also includes the Big Train FanFest at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets to the game are $10 and proceeds to the game will benefit the team’s foundation. Since its founding in 1998, the Big Train have donated more than $600,000 to building better baseball fields in Montgomery County and D.C. Last year, the Big Train merged with BCC Baseball.
For more information, team rosters and to buy tickets, visit the event page.
Flickr photo by Mark Briscoe
Bethesda Big Train Looking For Host Families
The Bethesda Big Train college summer baseball team is looking for host families to house its players this summer.
The Big Train, which plays its games at Shirley Povich Field in Cabin John Regional Park, is a team of college players from around the country who come to sharpen their skills and play in front of scouts in the wood-bat Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League.
Big Train players, who work at the team’s youth camp during the day and typically play at night, need housing from late May through late July or early August:
If you love to watch baseball, have kids who play baseball, or get a kick out of lazy summer nights at the ballpark, you can host a Bethesda Big Train player this summer, and get ready for the summer of your life! Let your family scream themselves silly when your very own player comes up to bat or pitches a game. With your own player, a recruit from a local or long-distance college, staying with you, your family will have a personal interest in the team that you’ve never felt before.
For more information, visit the Big Train’s website.
Flickr photo by Curveball Photography
Bethesda Big Train Bringing Summer Camp Back For 15th Year
The Bethesda Big Train college summer baseball team has announced schedules for its annual series of camps.
The popular sessions include instruction from Big Train manager Sal Colangelo, the Big Train coaches, players and appearances from Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles players. Last year, former National closer Chad Cordero was a coach. Pitcher Ross Detwiler and outfielder Roger Bernadina made appearances.
The six camps for boys and girls ages 5-16 range from $160 to $295 per session.
The Big Train is a wooden bat summer league team for college players in the offseason. More than 100 former players have been drafted into Major League Baseball.
The group’s Shirley Povich Field (10600 Westlake Dr.) in Cabin John Regional Park hosts games, clinics and other events throughout the summer.
For more information on camp schedules and prices, visit the Big Train’s website.
Video from Bethesda Big Train
Bethesda Big Train’s Holiday Auction To Feature Local National
Bethesda Big Train’s annual Bethesda Baseball Holiday Auction will feature a Washington National with local ties.
Steve Lombardozzi, the Howard County native who played many positions for the N.L. East Division champions last season, will be on hand when the Big Train holds the fundraiser on Sunday, Dec. 16 at the DoubleTree Hotel (8120 Wisconsin Ave.).
The Big Train are a summer baseball team for collegiate players who often live with area host families while playing games in and around the region as part of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League. The team is part of the nonprofit Bethesda Community Base Ball Club, created in 1998 to improve conditions of baseball fields throughout the area.
The team, named after former Bethesda resident and all-time pitching great Walter Johnson, plays at Shirley Povich Field in Cabin John Regional Park.
Tickets for the event start at $50 and can be purchased here. For more information, visit the Big Train’s website.
Flickr photo by Keith Allison
